NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team came out strong in the opener to Black and Gold weekend in Music City, defeating Mississippi State, 5-1.
The Dores opened the afternoon with a win at doubles, including a tiebreak on Court 1 to clinch the first point of the match. The team went on to record wins on four singles courts as Dasha Kourkina, Holly Staff, Amy Stevens and Anessa Lee all added to the Vanderbilt tally.
With the win, the Commodores improve to 14-8 on the season and 5-7 in conference play with their regular season finale against Ole Miss on deck.
Seeing Double
- The Bulldogs struck first with a 6-4 win on Court 2 doubles before the Dores evened it out moments later with a 6-4 set win of their own on Court 3 from Dasha Kourkina and MaryAnn Rompf.
- In their second-straight tiebreak to determine the doubles point, the Commodores came out on top with a 7-6(5) victory from the 39th-ranked duo Anna Ross and Holly Staff on Court 1.
Strong Singles
- The Bulldogs knotted it up with a win on Court 1 as 44th-ranked Ross fell to No. 81 Emmanuela Antonaki, 6-2 and 6-0.
- Kourkina reclaimed the lead for the home Dores with a win in straight sets on Court 5. After taking her first, 6-3, she doubled down in set two with a 6-2 score to secure the win.
- On Court 3, Staff extended the Commodores’ lead to 3-1 with a win in straight sets. The sophomore fought her way to the tiebreak win in set one, 7-6(5), before taking a 6-3 win to finish her afternoon against the Bulldogs.
- Amy Stevens clinched match point with a thrilling three-set victory on Court 6. The freshman dropped her first set, 6-2, before storming back to consecutive 6-4 wins to call game Friday evening.
- Anessa Lee took the final point of the night with a three set win on Court 2 for the 5-1 final. With a 6-3 win in set one, Lee dropped her second set, 1-6, as she and her Bulldog competition were forced to a decisive third match. Battling it out in set three, the two went to the tiebreak with Lee ultimately clinching the point with a 7-6(3) third set.
- The two teams opted to call the match following Lee’s win as Cruz was amid a tense third set on Court 4. The junior had taken set one, 6-4, before dropping a nail-biting tiebreak in set two, 7-6(2). Their match was called early in the third set at 1-1.
Up Next
The Commodores conclude the regular season Sunday with a tilt against Ole Miss, slated to begin at 11 a.m. Prior to the match, the team will honor its two seniors in Yufei Long and Dasha Kourkina.
